The elevated station will be built between the airport's two multilevel parking structures near the lei stands and feature covered access to the airport's main terminal. Transit planners hope the airport's 20,000 daily workers and more than 50,000 daily visitors use the train as much as possible.

"No matter how bad the traffic is on the H1, airport viaduct (or) Nimitz, they know they're going to arrive at the airport quickly and reliably and on-time," Mayor Kirk Caldwell said in a news conference Wednesday to unveil current plans for the rail station.

Still to be decided however is how the elevated train will handle luggage. The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation says luggage will be allowed on rail cars, but size limits have yet to be decided. A final decision will come after consultations with The Bus, which logs more than 229,000 passenger trips every weekday.

"We will be working with HART to make sure that whatever HART allows, we accommodate on the buses," said Mike Formby, the city's director of Transportation Services. "We don't want the system to break down, it's bus and rail."

The bus rail combination is also how tourists will reach Waikiki, since the 20-mile route ends at the Ala Moana Shopping Center from East Kapolei. The city says circulator buses serving the rail line will then connect the shopping center to Oahu's main tourist hub.

"The plan is to have the circulator buses on the same schedule as rail as much as possible because we have to move not only the workforce in Waikiki, but the visitors that choose to take rail from the airport," said Formby. "It's a route that allows us to get the buses through Waikiki and back to the transit center in a shorter period of time."

HART estimates it will take 16 minutes to travel from the shopping center to the airport rail station, where 15,000 daily weekday boardings are predicted. Under an agreement with the state, the city will pay $1 to lease land at the airport for 65 years where the rail station will be built. AECOM Technical Services Inc. was awarded a $10.1 million contract to design four stations that compromise the airport station group. A contract to build the actual guideway and stations that make up the group has yet to be awarded.

Still, the rail project's May progress reports highlights several issues that could impact construction schedules and overall cost. The top three risks are as follows:

- A delay in providing Hawaiian Electric Company service power demands may impact the opening of the train's maintenance storage facility next to Leeward Community College. The current risk assessment says there's a 75 percent chance of that coming to fruition.

- There may be insufficient utility company resources to meet design and permit approvals for the project. That risk was rated at 90 percent.

- And a change in station designs may affect the guideway and result in additional construction costs. That risk was also rated at 90 percent.

Hawaiian Electric spokesman Darren Pai issued a statement Wednesday saying the company doesn't anticipate any delays in providing the rail project the resources it requires.

"Meeting the needs of our customers and our community is our priority," said Pai. "We are collaborating closely with HART to ensure the work needed to support this project stays on schedule."

Later this summer HART will hold public modeling workshops for the airport station, which could result in some changes to the design.

The rail project's environmental impact statement predicted 116,000 daily weekday riders by the year 2030, which critics have called overly optimistic.

Today's the day we get a first look at a critical link in the 5- point-3 billion dollar Honolulu Rail project... the one designed to get you to and from the airport easily. But it comes with some lingering questions about luggage, and how passengers will get to Waikiki! For the very latest on the project, we turn to KITV4's Andrew Pereira... Andrew? Yunji, the city hopes airport visitors and employees leave their cars behind once rail gets to the airport in March 2019. 17-22 36-41 110-114 The airport's elevated station will be built between the two multi-level parking structures near the lei stands and feature covered access to the airport's main terminal. Rail planners hope the airport's more than 50- thousand daily visitors use the train as much as possible... ditto for 20-thousand daily workers. KIRK CALDWELL: "AND NO MATTER HOW BAD THE TRAFFIC IS ON H1, AIRPORT VIADUCT, NIMITZ THEY KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT QUICKLY AND RELIABLY AND ON-TIME." Airport workers don't need to worry about luggage, but pretty much everyone else does. Right now it's unknown what size luggage will be allowed on rail cars and city buses. MIKE FORMBY: "WE WILL BE WORKING WITH HART TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER HART ALLOWS, WE ACCOMMODATE ON THE BUSES. WE DON'T WANT THE SYSTEM TO BREAK DOWN, IT'S BUS AND RAIL." Which also means anyone who wants to get to Waikiki on rail will end up at the Ala Moana Shopping Center because that's where the 20-mile route ends. Circulator buses will then pick up the slack. MIKE FORMBY: "THE PLAN IS TO HAVE THE CIRCULATOR BUSES ON THE SAME SCHEDULE AS RAIL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE CAUSE WE HAVE TO MOVE NOT ONLY THE WORKFORCE IN WAIKIKI, BUT THE VISITORS THAT CHOOSE TO TAKE RAIL FROM THE AIRPORT TO WAIKIKI, WE HAVE TO MOVE THEM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE INTO WAIKIKI." DAN GRABAUSKAS: "THE WORK WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW ALREADY TO COORDINATE WITH THE BUS TO HAVE THAT BUS CONNECTIVITY IS GOING TO MEAN THAT PEOPLE CAN REALLY LEAVE THEIR CARS LITERALLY AT HOME AND HOP THE BUS AND CONNECT RIGHT TO RAIL." But according to the latest monthly progress report, several risks could delay the project and increase costs. Here's a look at the top three: A delay in providing HECO service power demands may impact opening of the maintenance storage facility - there's a 75% chance of that happening. There may be insufficient utility company resources to meet design and permit approvals... a 90% chance. And a change in station designs may affect the guideway and result in additional construction costs, also at 90%. DAN GRABAUSKAS: "WE KEEP IT ON OUR RISK REGISTER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP OURSELVES VERY FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHT THAT ACTIVITY." HECO spokesman Darren Pai issued a statement saying the company is working closely with HART to ensure the project stays on schedule. Later this summer HART will hold public modeling workshops for the airport station, which could result in some changes Yunji, Paula? Weather in the islands---finally getting

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